Making clothes that fit

I have a confession to make. When people ask me if I have made something I am wearing I usually say yes, then point out the mistake, the flaw, the thing that I am least happy about with it. I'm not sure if this is a bit of a British thing to do, or whether I just do it because I know I make mistakes, and I'm almost apologising for making something less that perfect.

One of the major issues I have had with almost everything I have made is that it just doesn't quite fit right! I have blouses which are too baggy, I have dresses that are too short, I have tops that pull tight over my chest. Well this year I dcided that enough was enough!! And I bought a book on how to adjust a sewing pattern to fit your body's little quirks. I found this book on Amazon which had some good reviews so I thought I would give it a shot...

It has chapters dedicated to particular body types and how to fix the sewing pattern to accommodate them. Because of this book I also discovered that I really needed to invest in a French curve, which makes the adjusting a piece of cake.

I will confess that I haven't taken measurements of my body properly, but I know which bits of a pattern need to be fixed (narrow shoulders I'm looking at you!!). So I just dove straight in with a pattern I have used before, but always feel very dissatisfied with the finished result. One of my earlier makes.. The Lady Skater Dress...

In this version there is a chunk of fabric under the arms due to the fact the armscythe doesn't sit right, and the waist is just faaaaaaar too high... So I set to the pattern with my French curve and my tape measure, and I came out with the new improved lady skater dress...

As you can see... No bulky underarm! And a waist that sits where a waist should sit! I am really happy with this second attempt, but I am not happy with those winter knees... Put some tights on girl!!

Much better.. Although I don't look too happy about it, oh dear. What has really stood out for me making this version of the dress is how much more flattering it feels. I don't feel like I have monster hips anymore! Which is really all a girl can ask for. 

Having the waist in the right place also means I'm not constantly tugging the skirt down so I'm much more comfortable too. 

Maybe the different sleeve length also contributes to just feeling more in proportion, though I just made them short because I thought the print would look too busy on longer sleeves.

In a nutshell, because I know it fits me properly, this is my new favourite dress. And when people ask if I made it I simply say 'yes, thank you'